Even as his lips twitched at Nick’s horrified expression, Devil slammed his hand down against the table, the gold of his wedding ring flashing in the dim light. “Dammit, guys, we’re here because my sex life is in the shitter. First, I’m dealing with Molly’s insane insecurities about her body. Which, did I mention is completely fucking bonkers! I mean, honestly, how could she ever doubt how much I love her? She gave me a freaking child! What kind of ungrateful shmuck would I be if I got bent out of shape over a little cellulite and a few stretch marks?”
“Please, God, tell me you didn’t say that to her,” Nick begged, his wide dark eyes widening as he turned toward his boss. “I’m homosexual as hell, but even I’m astute enough to realize you should never say that shit to a woman that’s just given birth. The hormones running through her body could take down an elephant, man!”
“This is actually true,” Grant agreed with a bob of his head. “Medically speaking, she’s probably about as dangerous as Charles Manson circa 1972 at this post-pregnancy stage. Sleep lightly, my friend,” he advised blandly.
“Hey, I’d finally gotten her past the point of wanting to do me harm and interested in doing something a whole lot more enjoyable than fighting last night. Like I said, clothes were off. Then, Mannie the Mood Killer arrived,” Devil grumbled with a heated look toward Nick. “Now, if I ever wanna see my wife naked again, I’ve gotta somehow fix your relationship, Santino. Now, how do you propose we do that?”
“Hold up. I’m still a little unclear on why the hell you haven’t told your parents about your intended,” Grant interrupted with a frown. “You’re a successful, influential guy in your field. I mean, Devil, here… he only hires the best of the best. And you’re what? Twenty-eight? Thirty? Don’t you think it’s past time to step out of the closet? Aren’t you getting claustrophobic in there yet? And how in the hell can you be closeted when you’re engaged to somebody as openly flamboyant as Mannie?”
Running a hand down his handsome face, Nick sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Then you should really work on simplifying it before you talk to Armando,” Devil warned evenly. “The one thing I know about that Latin lover of yours is that he hates being played for a fool, my man. And right now, he feels like the biggest sucker on the street. So, practice on us…pretend we’re Armando and talk this out.”
“Oooohhh, role play. This’ll be fun,” Grant grunted, waving his empty glass in the air.
“My parents are known to be a bit….difficult,” Nick began slowly as his fingers nervously toyed with the frayed edge of the paper napkin underneath his glass.
Devil couldn’t help his dry laugh. Hearing Nick’s description of the uptight, judgmental people he’d met ten years ago at a charity benefit was enough to have him shaking his head in disgust. Those people weren’t difficult. Nick’s parental units (because calling them parents was too kind in his mind) were assholes, plain and simple. He still remembered how they’d looked down their noses at him. His biggest sin had been that he was a self-made man rather than a member of the old money set they preferred their son to associate with. The fact that he’d also been the proud grandson of poor Irish immigrants had only provided the icing on their judgy cake. While he and Nick had hit it off and began a lasting friendship, Nick’s parents had made him feel like an unwelcome interloper among their Country Club cronies. Devil would be lying if he said that he hadn’t taken extreme delight in hiring their talented son years later and relocating him hundreds of miles away from their Boston home. “I think difficult puts it a bit too mildly, bud,” Devil grunted, shaking his head as he frowned at the man he’d hired almost five years ago. “I met those folks that claim you as a son for thirty minutes over a decade ago and even I can call it like it is. Your parents are a pair of the biggest blue-blooded bigots on the Eastern Seaboard.”
“Jesus, Dev! That’s a little harsh,” Grant winced, shooting a shocked look toward his friend.
“No,” Nick denied. “Devil pretty much nailed it. They’re that horrible. That’s one of the biggest reasons I had for avoiding them the last several years. I mean, I knew I was gay back in college, but I never met someone that I could imagine a future with until I met Armando. Finding him was like finding the missing piece of myself, you know?”
“Okay,” Devil muttered, “I do know, but you’re flirting perilously close to a chick conversation now…let’s dial it back a bit.”